Working away

The other night I was working away on the computer. It was still early around 6pm and I looked over to C who had been quiet a few minutes. Here she is: This is what happens when sassy girls give up their nap times. Really though wood floor is not that comfortable C!

Milk and cookies

I know these are a little backwards, but you'll get over it. No Christmas eve is complete without setting out milk and cookies for Santa. H can be a worry wart, and he really was concerned about leaving the milk out over night. I think it is partially because he thought it might go sour - doubt it, and partially because he will not drink his milk if it is not very cold. Good thing Santa remembered to go into the fridge for the milk. I just think the letter is perfect. Isn't he so sweet?

Christmas

Christmas this year was quiet, but wonderful. I took a lot more video than photos, so sorry there isn't much to see. Also for those of you thinking we have a lame Christmas tree - yes maybe but it is actually potted with the idea that we would plant it at the new house, but it is actually for a different climate so that may not happen. Everyone always asks the kids what their favorite gifts are so here goes:

H: little legos, dress up basket, and candy

C: baby doll, cash register, dress up, and candy (which she snuck all day long)

S: money & gift cards to shop & photo of kids from John (very thoughtful and sneaky since he stole it from my computer)

J: cheese log (well really a mound this year)

Just for the record I added us as well because we really are kids at heart. Also I know the family photo is a little weird, but no perfection in this house. A friend from school took it since she was over for our Mexican Christmas feast.

Pecked to Death

This is definitely what would have happened to C if I was not there to protect her the other day when we went to feed the ducks. The large dark colored duck was VERY aggressive and kept trying to get the bread straight from her hands. She did not like this as you can see - look to the left her skeptical face to the duck says it all! Good thing I was there to protect her.

C is cool

C - How do you describe this girl? I mean yes she is cute and cuddly, but she is also CRAZY. Here' to our cool girl:

1- C can best be described as 2 going on tween. She loves to dance, talk on the phone (real and make believe), get dolled up, and stay up past her bedtime. The other night I made J watch Mama Mia with me (he had forgotten it is a musical and agreed initially). As soon as she heard the music she was downstairs and before we could return her she was full on jamming out dancing in front of the TV to the music. That's my kind of girl! She even spent part of the movie so enthralled that we couldn't get her more than a foot and a half away from the big screen.

2- Claire is a drama queen! I guess this kind of goes without saying to anyone who knows her. She is dramatic about anything from vitamins to spiders. For a while we had a spider web in the garage that she refused to go near at all, not that I can really blame her, but she wouldn't even get close enough to the door if the car so I could load her in all because of a spider web (mind you it was over 6 feet away). I finally swept it away, but a month later she still double checks every time. Funny thing about spiders as well is that she cannot forget about a Halloween shirt I have for her with spiders on it. It was a bit too big this year, but once she saw it in the box forget it. I've been hiding it since Halloween ended, but she keeps remembering it is missing. Last night as I was putting her to bed she was almost asleep when she started crying for that dumb shirt again. AAHHHH. It has been nearly 2 weeks since she saw it last. Oh, and while on the subject of drama I can't forget to mention her murderous scream - don't even think about touching anything she might want in the next 2 hours or you will regret it!

3- She loves the colors orange and pink. Since she has been potty training she gets an M&M every time she goes in the potty. She loves getting orange and is so proud to announce this color each time I ask. She also loves pink. Anytime she is wearing it she says it proudly as well.

4- She loves to sing. At first it was only twinkle twinkle little star. She hasn't given up the tune, but no one knows all the words she puts to it now. She also loves I am a child of god, nursery rhyme songs, and now you bet - Christmas carols. What's not to love about a singing child?

5- Babies - this one is a mother in the making. I have never seen a child so enthralled by babies. Take her to the store and she will sit at the baby aisle for hours if you let her. What is the best is that she makes sure they nap, eat (even if that means putting toothpaste in bowls and feeding it to them on the CARPET!), get dressed, and she loves to sing and snuggle them.

6- Wild - this girl knows how to have a good time. Besides dancing she loves to jump on her bed (despite our discouragement), spit (this is new and she loves to do this when you try to kiss her - GROSS), run around a lot, smack you in the face when she doesn't get her way, talk back, and throw tantrums. Don't get me wrong she has a sweet side, but we seem to see the wild one more frequently.

7- She is an animal lover. She loves to snuggle Yoda especially, but when she sees other dogs around she screams loudly in an attempt to go see them. Even if Yoda is wild and knocks her over - she never stays upset usually going back to him just a minute later. Good thing Yoda seems to enjoy the attention as well.

8- She loves attention. This couldn't be more true than when she is at church. She just loves anyone telling her she is pretty, holding her, and she pretty much demands the attention of about every girl age 7-17 in the ward.

This girl is manic and lovely all in the same breath. Only hope I make it through the teenage years alive!

H the Helper

I just thought I would dedicate the next couple of posts to my kids. Here is to the good, bad, and the ugly. So here goes......H is our little helper.

1-He is the best chore completer around. This could have something to do with his sticker chart (where 10 chores gets you a prize), but really he loves to be with me doing what I do and if that means cleaning alongside me - that is what he will do.
2- He is sensitive. He doesn't like to see others hurt or upset. Once on the TV he saw a snippet about tapeworms on animal planet. That about set him over the edge - he just kept crying and saying: "I don't want worms in my body".

3- He wants fairness all around. He loves for people to obey laws and choose the right. He tells me things like - "mom, dad drives fast but he hasn't been arrested yet." Notice the yet. (I think he is destined to be a police officer or the like - even though he insists he wants to be a garbage man and build houses.) He constantly asks me if he will be arrested if he is late to school, if I don't turn in homework, if we accidentally drop trash, etc. He even counted the presents under the tree to make sure we had the same amount. This brings us to the next one.

4- He is a giver. After counting the presents he decided that it wasn't ok for C and him to have the most. He decided dad should have the most since he is the oldest. (I beg to differ!)

5- He is the best big brother. Having C around is much easier with H there to occupy her time. Yes they fight, but really they are very best of friends and I pray that it stays that way.

6- He loves to be on time. This is both a blessing and a curse and something I am sure I have brought out in him. He NEEDS to be at least 5 minutes early to school, can't stand going to church late, and loves to arrive anywhere in a timely fashion. He even gets anxious if he thinks we are running behind. This is not to say he doesn't drag his feet - he just gets mad if that makes him late in the end.

7- He is honest. He really has only lied a couple of times (that we know about) and his guilt was HUGE about it. Strangely enough all of those times were about eating all of his food so he could have dessert. Today he even admitted that he saw one of his Christmas gifts - knowing full well that I had told him if he peeked I would take it back. Luckily for him he was doing a chore and that is why he saw it so he gets to keep it. I really need to be better about hiding things - I'm still new at this!

8- Best of all he is a lover! He loves to give hugs and really doesn't want anyone to feel pain, anger, or sadness. What a wonderful boy to have around all year!

I am in primary

C is such a hoot sometimes. When the kids sang at the Christmas party C insisted on joining them - on stage, which meant she was moving a chair to climb up with them. H even shared his bells with her. So cute. Here are a few photos of the event. If you are wondering why H doesn't look like he is singing - it is because he usually doesn't - he just stands around while everyone else does.

what will I do with myself

Now that I have 3 official weeks off of school you might wonder what I will do with myself - or maybe not. If you aren't wondering just skip to the next post, but for those of you who are here goes.

1- Sewing - so far I made 1 apron and 3 baby blankets. This way I am up on my supply for new births.

2- Bake - Here is a photo for that one (please ignore C's outfit we were leopard crazy that day). H & C helped me make dipped pretzels for our friends. For the ward party I made cupcakes, dipped pretzels, 2 jello salads, and a potato casserole. I might actually get around to making real dinner one of these days too - you know the kind with all the courses in special bowls and such.

3- I am also thinking about starting a puzzle after Christmas since the card table is currently occupied.

4- I am making a scarf for myself!

5- Read - right now that entails Marley & Me - anyone think Yoda is a bit like Marley?

6- Make cards - again this will give me a stock to use when school is back in.

7- Scrapbook - I put this last because the thought overwhelms me! I haven't scrapbooked in about 9 months so I have a lot of catching up to do.

Hopefully all of this will help me unwind and I will feel prepared to take on another semester of madness.

he can tie

H made a major accomplishment this week. He finally learned to tie his shoes. They still fall out easily even with his double knot, but he can do it! His dad had the best reaction - and it was cool to see H light up when he received a ton of praise about learning to do a new thing.

Santa Photos

Last night we had our ward party which J was in charge of. Thankfully he was back from his trip to CA and AZ. We had a visit from Santa. C was afraid at first, but warmed up when "her friend" joined her (that would be the one of the Done girls next to her). Just for the record this is a girl from a family of 9. The girls in the family (I think 6 of them) all give C a ton of attention and she eats it up. She loves to go to church just to see them, and will say "My friends" all during church because she wants to sit with them not us. H also took a photo, but he was much more sceptical - see his face for proof. He is a thinker that one. He told me Santa is not real - at first I panicked until I realized he was just talking about the Santa at church - whew. He had two sound reasons:
1. He is not wearing boots - ok true, but I could have explained that one away.
2: Then when she sat on his lap he told me: "Mom I know he isn't real because his beard is fake." Can't argue with that so we had the real vs. fake Santa talk - you know the one -
maybe it is a helper for Santa because he is so busy.
In the meantime before the ward party J was paying a young woman in the ward to wrap his Christmas presents because he hates to do it that much. Lazy - yes, but she sure seemed happy about it.

Poop craziness

Ok, so I need to tell someone how gross a mother's life can be. C is in potty boot camp right now. This entails an underwear all the time policy with no return. Only exceptions is pull ups when we are on outings until she is more reliable and for my sanity, and diapers at night since she still has issues holding it that long. So far we have had good and bad days. She has been getting in the habit of taking her underwear off at random moments. Well today she did that and then I heard her say "I have farty" I knew immediately that meant we needed to run to the bathroom so I swooped her up in my arms and and not second later she pooped as I was holding her - bouncing off my foot, landing on the carpet. Nothing trains you for that! J of course stayed upstairs through the hysterics, he even admitted that he thought someone might be dying by my reaction. When he heard poop though the was perfectly fine staying where he was. Some help he is - at least he is making dinner tonight or he would be in deep doo doo! Hope the rest of you are avoiding potty training for the time being. I know I can only do this so many times.

DONE

Well, at least for now. I made a great plan for myself - I would finish my candidacy paper by today. For the first time this semester I actually met my goal - a couple hours early even. I finished my paper, edited it myself. Now it will rest for a week or so and then be edited again. I am so proud of myself - bet you couldn't tell. That is the best Christmas present I could give to myself - a restful holiday without school work to do.

great christmas gift

H came up with a great gift recently for his dad for Christmas. He told me that 1- we should let him sleep in. Anyone who knows J knows this is the best gift ever - and if you don't give it to him he would take it anyway :). 2- We should clean the whole house really well while he is sleeping. Then when he is up we can open presents. Only wish gifts for the kids were that inexpensive! Hope you are all experiencing a joyful holiday season!

bill cosby

Just wanted to share a few pieces of exciting news:
1- J is home after 12 days away. We are so excited to have him around again!
2- School is over for the semester and I don't passed all my classes (which is a B for this program).
3- My competency paper is almost done. I am hoping to wrap it up by Thursday so I can enjoy a relaxing break which includes reading the book Marley and Me - this way I can treat myself to the movie afterwards.
4- For my birthday I get to go see Bill Cosby perform live! I am very excited. I hope J also likes it. He is definitely my favorite comedian.
Hope all of you are well and enjoying the Christmas season! It's snowing!

oh crap

Sorry to any of you who are offended by the word crap, but with this story to follow I think you will understand. J has been out of town for a week - first in CA now in phx attending to family things. Not really sure when he will be able to return yet. In the meanwhile I am finishing off the semester. I have been trying to juggle kids, school work, church events and housework - although that has seriously been put to the side. Tonight I took the kids to my class - I talked about my research paper. Meanwhile the kids are crawling under tables, shining a flashlight on people in class, screaming, you name it. My prof is cool, but they really abused the right to be there. We left early - as was planned, and I was relieved to get out of there. On the way to the car H pointed out a huge amount of crows overhead. I guess this has been a problem on campus with them roosting to the point they set off fireworks to try and get them to leave. Well as they were flying overhead I got a big one right on the head ---- yep OH CRAP. Kind of sums up my past week, although this is probably the most entertaining part of my day so far. For all of you going through a rough spell - just think at least I haven't had a crow take a monster poop on my head - maybe that will make it just a little better. I am all showered now and feel much better.

Wierd week

This has been a bit of a weird week for us. J went to CA for a big international tournament. He was invited and they paid - so really couldn't pass it up. Meanwhile I turned in a big final paper, and tomorrow I have a comprehensive exam in research. I didn't even understand half of what went on in the class, so I have been studying furiously. Meanwhile I also have another paper due Wed and my candidacy paper due in early Jan. I am trying to finish that up before Christmas break which is in a week. We will see - it is only a 1/3 of the way done. Either way I want to be done with it before Christmas so I can spend time potty training - oh and also enjoying the holidays. On the Christmas front. I have been trying to finish off my gifts to get them out the mail, but it is taking longer than expected - I think I have too much going on.
Also this weekend I heard that J's Grandma is in the hospital. She is 95 and a wonderful woman. J is planning on trying to change his flight home from CA so he can stop and see his family which would be great for him. It makes my life a bit more complicated, but I want him to have that chance. His whole family has gone to Phoenix to be with her, and she is moving to hospice today. Our thoughts and prayers are going to her and the family. We love you all and wish we could be there as well.
Also on Saturday we went to a baptism of a great guy that is now new to our ward. He bore a 30 min testimony today in church - which was very amazing. I can't even go into his whole story, but basically his wife and kids left him recently and after joining the church today he announced that even with all of that he is the happiest he has ever been. Wow I can honestly say I am not that grateful.
Oh, also found out that John and Jamie are expecting another baby! So exciting! I am hoping for a girl so Claire will have another girl cousin - plus I have a ton of cute baby girl clothes to give that way.
With all of that said. I am having a hard time holding back the tears today. Just a lot of emotions going through me. I sing in a Christmas program tonight, so hopefully I won't break down there.
I hope you are all well. Today it is 22 degrees at my house - at 2pm. Stinkin' cold and hardly even snowing. I honestly think it is too cold to snow. Hope you are all enjoying your warmer lives!

smack talker

So every once and a while I am a smack talker, and I am afraid it came back to bite me this time. Remember when I wrote about John having bronchitis? Well I guess I must have gone a little too far - now I have it. I guess I need to be more humble.

Drug Dealer

So we moved away from family, but who would have thought that there would be distant relatives of ours in this town? Figures that they would be the town drug dealers - at least they are the legal variety. I noticed this sign when I first moved here and just thought it was very silly that of all things to be named Parrish - it had to be the drug store. Maybe they will give me a discount for namesake.

no nap

Just for the record I think it is officially the end of naps for C. She has given them up with me altogether, but she will still stay in her crib and nap a while for the sitter. Such a sad thing for a mom to loose naptime, especially when she needs to write. Ah well - life moves on.

Stud dog

Yoda would like to formally announce that he is now on the market looking for pure bred female boxers who would like to bear puppies. He is willing to provide this service for a fee, but he makes no promise of long term commitment. Right now he is just wanting to play the field. Just look at him, what dog wouldn't want some of this?

Day trip

So last weekend we went on a day trip to Lancaster. It was great and a nice break from my usually scenery (which is usually my computer or office at school). This is the furthest I have been since moving here, and it was welcome. We took the kids to a children's museum. It was alright, but pretty bad compared to the one in Minnesota I went to with Jackson & Max. Either way, the kids had a great time. They played store, farm, went fishing, face painted, and made cars to race. Pretty much a dream place for them. We took this trip because J was assigned to his first NCAA soccer playoff game. It was that evening and it ended up going into double overtime and a shootout in 20 degree weather. J ended up with bronchitis shortly thereafter, but I am sure he would say it was worth it.

Too funny

I was going to get back to work, until C just decided to turn on the TV. It came on to PBS and it was the chair workout. For those of you who don't know about this at all it is a workout designed for the elderly or disabled and it done sitting in a chair. I just looked over to see if she wanted the channel changed, and she was doing the workout! Holy cow that was a riot. She is too funny! Oh, just an aside J went to the doctor today. He has had a bad cough and it was sounding raspy and fluid filled. I convinced him to go - as I thought it was bronchitis. What do you know - I was right. I am so smart sometimes! Not that I wanted to be right on this one. As a result, he got to buy $85 in medicine to get better. Could it be that reffing soccer in 20-30 degree weather can make you sick?

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

3/4 cup sugar
1.4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin (works great with homemade as well)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chocolate chips (semisweet is what I prefer for this one - use mini if you make mini muffins instead)
Preheat oven to 400, line muffin tins. Mix sugar, oil, & eggs. Add pumpkin & water. Add dry ingredients, mix until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Bake 20-25 min for regular size muffins.

Cranberry Pecan Muffins

1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream or substitute plain yogurt
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup cranberries (they can be fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Cream together butter and sugar, add eggs, add vanilla. Fold in sour cream. Combine dry ingredients, add to other mixture until just moistened. Fold in cranberries, & pecans. Fill lined muffin tins and bake at 400 for 20-25 min.

Motivation

So I need another break from writing, just finished up one thing and need something less intense before changing gears. This time I thought I would lend a little insight into my work. Before this program I used to sit down to write a paper for a class. I would read background, create an outline, and write. Usually a 5 page paper took about 2-3 hours for me to draft, then a day to sit and an hour or two more to edit. Lets just say the bar has been raised here - about 25 stories higher. The writing now is more technical - which is a challenge - and takes much longer for me. Also I now edit my drafts so much that they aren't similar in any way to the original. I guess this is just the process for good writing, but it can be killer. This leads to my need for motivation. I can't really say writing itself is motivating. I mean yes when I finally have a final product I am happy with, but considering the standards that is usually takes many months. So I have created my own system of motivation: BAKING. I know it sounds silly, but for me baking doesn't take much brain power - especially what I bake - but it is highly motivating. I get to do it with my kids, take a break, make my family happy, and EAT! On days where I know I will be writing a ton, I set a goal for myself and when I reach it I reward myself and my family with a baked good. Lately I have been on a muffin kick. I will post a few of my favorites. Mainly this is because generally they are healthier than other treats I make so I don't feel as guilty indulging. Claire has been enjoying this trend as well - I think the picture proves it! I also use my favorite TV shows as motivation and......you guessed it blogging. Lucky for all of you! Best part about blogging is the lack of extensive editing!

House again

At the risk of being boring I am posting another house photo. I will not continue at this rate, but it has been changing a lot right now - changes later will be more subtle. Plus I know many of you out there like this type of update. You know who you are! For those of you hoping for more potty training stories you will just have to wait. The quality on this one isn't as great - I took it with my phone, not my camera. Should be ready to roof soon, side, etc. Then on to the months of interior work. So glad I am not working on it in the 20 degree weather!

WOW

I was at a late meeting tonight and a friend was taking care of the kids while J was home teaching. This is how C looked when I picked her up from my friend's house. Pretty crazy outfit, and she doesn't look thrilled about it. Also her shirt is on backwards, and H told me he had m&ms for dinner. While the whole story is not completely accurate I had a sudden anxiety about what would ever happen if I died. I am quite certain my children would look like hobos. If this were ever, heaven forbid, to happen please someone intervene. On the bright side, at least her clothes are clean. Love you honey, but I think your sense of style and matching needs a little work.

Cindy Lou Who Wins

For those of you keeping track the Cindy Lou Who hairdo won the poll. Thanks to all of you who voted. For those of you who didn't vote you are not welcome to complain about her hairdos in the future. You know they say if you don't vote you have to keep quiet. Same applies here. I will have to perfect the Cindy Lou do for upcoming photos.

poor voter turnout

C just wanted to make it known that she is appalled by the poor voter turnout for her hair voting. Doesn't anyone care about the world she lives in? If you haven't voted - no excuses. Your lack of concern may make a 2 year old cry!

another week

Well, I have a few highlights to add for the week.
1- We now have the house wrapped (I don't know the technical term). It is ready for the roof trusses, footers for the porch, and siding soon. J was disappointed this week when it rained the day he was supposed to have concrete poured for the porch footers. Windows are hung and we ordered doors. This week we are finalizing choices for the siding, roofing material, fascia, etc. Next we move onto choosing cabinetry, door hardware, etc.
2- H and C let me sleep in two days in a row! It helped that I finally decided to put the dog in his kennel each night. He has been getting in the habit of waking me between 5 and 7 to go out. This wouldn't be annoying if I actually wanted to be up at this time of day, but since I need to be at class late two nights a week I have found it is better to wake up a bit later (generally around 7 or so) so I am more alert at night, especially for those classes. Either way Saturday I slept in until 9 and today until 8. Wow gotta love this! I have been sick again this weekend - this time with an actual cold, so the sleep was welcomed even more.
3- This weekend H asked me if he could call his whole class to have them come over and play. I am such a mean mom and I told him no. To try and make him happy we changed the subject to a day trip next Saturday as a family. Still no decision on exactly what we will do, but maybe one of the nearby children's museums. We will save the dinosaur museum for when we visit DC - maybe over Christmas break. For those of you who don't know this I really haven't left a 30 mile radius since we moved here, so I am equally excited for the day out.
4- C is still potty training, but no luck with #2 in the potty. Not sure if she has the poop fear that I have heard about, but we are trying to work through it. She is also become an expert at the tantrums where you fall on the floor and kick and scream. Wow, she is dramatic. What is bad is that sometimes it strikes me as funny - I think man if I did that would I get out of dishes, or laundry, or homework? I have to hold back the laughter as I imagine myself trying her stunts.
5- On an academic front H is doing well in school based on his parent teacher conferences. I am as well. I have 2 of 3 papers in draft form. Two need to be completed in the next couple of weeks, with one due right before Christmas break is over. If I can get that one in draft form over Thanksgiving I will be in great shape. If I had to estimate how many pages of text I have written thus far this semester (including those from redrafted writing) I think it would be well over 300 pages by now. Shocked? Me too! Scary part is this is probably mild compared to what is to come. Next semester I am taking stats, single subject design, completing candidacy (which determines whether I remain in the program), taking 3 seminar classes, working on a research project, and sitting in on a class and supervising practicum teachers for my assistantship. That should keep me busy.
This next week it is supposed to be miserably cold - and likely that way for a few months at least. Good thing we didn't move from Phoenix or our clothing budget would be out of control right now. Hope all of you in sunny AZ are living it up because come May I will be shouting Nanny, nanny, boo, boo.

Potty training update

Just thought I would give a short potty training update. Monday night I arrived home from class around 8pm. I guess while I was at class H decided to put underwear on C. J gave permission for this. Well, as a result, C went into the hall closet and peed on my favorite boots. J cleaned it up, but I have to say I think that is disgusting. Generally she is not the specific about where she goes, and this seems more like something a dog would do. Ah well! I think we should have the routine down better by Thanksgiving.

more 2 year old antics

Just a quick update on the two year old front. J was in Pittsburg today to ref three games so I had to manage both kids at church and home alone. In theory this should be pretty easy, I mean some do this with 8 or more, but today reality won out. C was her typical self which included several outbursts of high pitched screams when she didn't get her way. She also managed to lay on the bench and repeatedly kick the lady (lucky her) seated by me. Thankfully she was cool about that part. I missed almost all announcement trying to keep the kids quiet and just before the end of the meeting as our speaker was trying to close his talk, C leaned over to H and took a bit bite out of his shoulder blade. H didn't take this very well and began crying loudly so I had to try and carry both of them out to the foyer. Sigh....just another day in the life of a mom. She didn't nap this afternoon so I am afraid I was not the best or most patient mom, but she is sleeping now and snuggled me this evening when I was reading. That part of her two year old personality is enjoyed. Just hope this theme does not carry over to her teenage days or our house will not be pretty! Heaven help us!

Advertising Flaw

After spending all morning writing a paper on interventions for individuals with cognitive impairments engaging in inappropriate sexual behaviors, I need a change of pace. I figured a funny post would do the trick.

So here goes. We opted to skip school pictures this year. I never really cared for the staged nature of them, and they are far too pricey for the quality. Today I was very happy with that decision when I received the following advertisement in H's backpack.

Yes this is H's school photo this year and the advertisement basically said: "It's not too late to order your school pictures for the year." I think from this picture it is clear that there is no quality control to make sure that anyone would actually consider buying the photos that they are marketing. I can honestly say this is the worst photo of H - EVER. He looks like he is witnessing a liposuction procedure, or just had a bad botox injection. I don't want to be too hard on the photographer, because you kind of need to coax H along in the process, but honestly how could you miss this one. They have to accept the photos on a digital screen. The photographer must have been in cruise control to miss this one. What is sad is that this will be in his "yearbook". Good thing it is only kindergarten. I will need to practice this skill with him to avoid the embarrassing photos in high school yearbooks. In case any of you are dying to purchase these overpriced, horrible photos, I have the information for you. Don't even think of buying it for blackmail - I have the advertisement to put in his scrapbook already. I hate to laugh at my kid, but I just can't help it with this one.

Little voter

Well today H voted at school for president. I cannot say that it was very official, but they held their own election and he told me that he voted for John McCain. Here are his reasons:
1- His first name is John just like dad.
2- His last name has "cane" in it just like the thing that helps people to walk.
I think he won points with both mom and dad with that answer. How cute is he! Just for the record he told me that John McCain had the most votes in his class. Wonder if that will be a telling sign of the outcome tonight. I doubt I will stay up for the event. It will be better for everyone if I just find out tomorrow. Hope you all had a chance to vote, I waited behind only 5 people this morning, but others in the area spent 2 1/2 hours in line. Glad I live in a small town today!

construction update

Well, I had to steal these from J's website since I still hasn't emailed me pictures. I know it seems like we don't live in the same house, but we do. Just different schedules at times which makes coordination of less pressing tasks a bit of a pain. The pictures are of the basement walls going in the product is called "Superior Walls". Ask J for more details on that - my brain is filled with other information. The other is of the subfloor for the main level. Tomorrow walls will be delivered for the main level and the framing will start for that level. How fun! Doesn't really seem like my house at this point since I don't have much time to be a part of this process. Who thinks my husband is pretty stinking cool to build this for our family? It seems to be going pretty quickly since they started. What a good man!

hairdo

This post is dedicated to the upcoming election. Hopefully we will take electing the next president more seriously than what follows:
C would like to know what you think about her bath hairdos. She is very proud of her growing hair. Please take a moment to vote for your favorite. 1- She calls this one flapper hair - can't you just picture her doing the Charleston?

2- This looks like Medusa - only the snakes are getting a tad lazy.

3- Handle hair - wouldn't it be nice if this would stay put and when she is trying to run away in the store I could just grab the handle to slow her down?

4- This one is for Papa - our attempt at Cindy Lou who hair. It is even cuter from different angles, but the model was a bit sassy and demanding during this shoot.

NOW GET OUT AND ROCK THE VOTE!

Halloween Photos

Halloween is interesting in a small town. Apparently here the city determines the day for trick or treating. Luckily people realize we are new and clued us in - otherwise we could have missed it entirely. This year it was scheduled on Thursday night. WEIRD! All of this was done on a different day because...yep you guessed it, football. The world revolves around football here so if there is a home game on Halloween surely no one would think of trick or treating at that time. It was best to move it to another day. I think I will always be an outsider around here. It would take a lifetime to get used to some of this thinking. Now for a few cute pictures.
H and C in the leaves that night.

The kitty & Spiderman by our Jack o'lantern. It really ended up looking like Michael Jackson which is the scariest face anyone could carve, but it was really not intentional - I just stink at carving - even cut my finger doing it. The hair on the jack o'lantern this year is to disguise the attack by the dog- see previous post for details on that one!

H was being a wuss - he doesn't like the feel of the pumpkin seeds so he insisted on using a spoon.

C was using a spoon after H example - she actually didn't refuse to touch the pumpkin.

overreaction?

In light of today's events I feel I might need to state that I may have over reacted last night. I do not have strep - YIPEE! I am very happy about that. I am still not feeling well, and apparently I have a virus (likely caused from a cold like illness) that is making my throat sore. The doctor admitted my throat was white, but didn't see any puss - like I thought was there. Anyway, back to the good news - no strep, so my surgery was not a waste of time! Now I am going to go rest and try to study for my comprehensive exam on Monday - this is the second of many to come. Happy Halloween all!

SICK OF SICK

Well I just need to vent right now - and J is assessing a referee. This week has brought illness into our house. First Claire had pink eye - that was just a blast. Then the past few days my throat has been sore. For those of you who don't recall I had my tonsils out less than a year ago - around Thanksgiving. Well today I am about 97% sure that I have strep throat. My throat is white and pussy - and looks just like strep only without huge tonsils in the way. I am so frustrated about this. Why in the world did I spend two weeks in pain and a lot of money to prevent myself from getting strep if I was just going to keep getting it? I am in serious pain and it is just a pain! On top of that I have to study for a comprehensive exam this weekend, run a super Saturday craft, have a dinner party, and there are no available appointments tomorrow at the health center where I can get medical treatment. I talked to the on call nurse and she just said "show up and demand treatment." I guess that is pretty good advice, but if I need to scream to demand it I might die! I am going to get Tylenol. Thanks for listening.
S

House update

For those of you dying to know what is going on with the house - we officially have basement walls. I will try to post photos later, but they are still in J's camera, so I can't at the moment. Tomorrow the cement for the basement is poured, and then on to framing. H has been going to the jobsite regularly and he loves it!

Terrible two

So it is official - C is definately in the terrible twos. This week she was especially crazy. Here are a few highlights from today only (see the posting about going no babysitter for a few more from the week).
1- Unlocked and opened the back door to let the dog out (we have not fence so you see how this one ended).
2- Instead of napping took all the books off the shelf and threw them around the room - all while H and Mom were cleaning in the basement.
3- During our primary program got so restless with Dad that he let her down and she joined me on the stand - this led to taking shoes off, and placing them on the wood trim along the stand, then during prayer she figured out how to open the door to the sacrament room. AAAHHHH.
4- Grabbed my glass of water off the table and spilled it on the wood floor. Ok this one is pretty mild, but they start adding up after a while and I was especially thirsty and tired of cleaning up.
5- Picked up legos for H, only he was still in the process of making his masterpiece.
6- Combed her hair with beans - these are her words and just mean that she put beans in her hair.
Funny thing is we love her just the same there is just a bit more tantruming from her end, and a few more frustrated ARRGHS from mom.

haunted house

Last night we took the kids to their first haunted house. One of the parents from J's soccer team owns a restaurant/inn close to our home. This weekend they turned it into a haunted house. It was very mild and they didn't try to jump out and scare C at all (which was nice for me because I was holding her and I am easily startled). The kid from J's team was dressed as a gorilla - and he jumped out to scare J and H. He did a good job with H who clutched J's hand, but no screaming at all. It was a lot of fun, and definitely got us in the Halloween mood. This year we will have a cat and a repeat Spiderman. H pointed out that no one here knew he was spiderman last year, so he should be that again. Works for me - the costume fits, and no more money spent. C is very excited about her cat ears (headband) and tail. I will be sure to post pictures of this!

No babysitter

Ok, so having been there as a babysitter - I know how it is on days where your kids are sick and you just don't want to have others around to get them sick or to have to deal with when you kid is throwing up. That is why this morning when my sitter called and told me her kid was throwing up violently I opted to take C with me today. (J went out of town for a game today). Just take note that this is not a class day, just a day where I meet about a couple of projects. C loves going to school with me because she gets to ride the bus around - so she was very excited to be with me. She did ok for the first meeting which was with other doc students. They were very patient and understanding of my predicament. At the second meeting with a professor she did ok at first. Then after about 5 min she wrote on her face in pen (I was trying to get her to color to keep quiet) and then right at the end she just up and ripped her shirt off. Luckily this is the most laid back professor - with 3 kids of his own, so he just said "my office isn't even hot- the heater doesn't work." It was actually pretty funny, but a little embarassing. I can't even remember a time at home when she has done this - so it was kind of weird. Luckily I could spend the rest of the day home - who knows what she would have tried next.

dog and pumpkin

Well, our pumpkin was attacked by the dog. I pulled it indoors for the night since it is forecasted to freeze - I don't want a rotten pumpkin. While I gave the kids a bath Y ate off the stem and started to claw the sides. It seems like it will still work as a jack 'o lantern, but it will just be hard to get the lid on and off. Why would our dog attack a pumpkin? SPOOKY!

Pumpkin pickin'

As promised we went to Way Fruit Farm today to pick our pumpkin. H was excited all week about this and we had a great time. We rode in a trailer on the back of a tractor (a hayride without the itchy hay) to the pumpkin patch. H kept picking 25 lb pumpkins and since it is a per pound ordeal we told him that we had to be able to carry it out. Who needs to carve a 25 lb pumpkin? It ended up being a cold windy day - the kind that chills to the bone, so our trip was pretty short. No picking apples, but luckily there were a ton already picked to bag yourself. I got the largest bag so I could make applesauce and apple crisp. Plus with the basement unfinished it is a great place to store apples (nice and cold, but not freezing - yet). Ended up seeing quite a few people we knew there - kind of like a ward party only no potluck. Hopefully we can go again next year, but maybe the day will be a bit warmer. Oh, also tried the best cider I have ever tasted. SO YUMMY! It was great to spend the morning as a family without distractions - no homework and J with us. We had potato soup when we got home with grilled ham and cheese to warm us up. Oh, one more thing - we officially have a big hole in our lot! Not a basement yet, but it is a hole. I will try to post some really great pictures of H in the backhoe soon. They are on J's camera. Sorry no pictures of the beautiful fall leaves yet. I am still a bit too busy to keep up with all my hobbies.

Car ordeals

So I don't think I wrote about this, but here is the story of the week. About a month and a half ago I was backing out of the our ONE car garage with our Durango. For those of you not visualizing this it is a very tight fit, so tight we actually have to move the side mirror in on one side to make it in. Well the trash can was at the end of the driveway which is VERY steep and in an effort to avoid it I ended up denting the front bumper of my car when I hit the side of the garage door. Long story now short...it was pretty expensive to repair a bumper, and I am much more careful when backing out of the garage.
The rental car this week worked out nicely as well since it had better gas mileage - and when I specifically asked for an ugly car (so I would be able to find it in the massive Beaver Stadium parking lot I use at school) they delivered. Hope no one thinks a Kia Rondo is a hot car because that is the one I am calling ugly. It worked - I never lost the car!
Tomorrow we are going to pick a pumpkin and maybe apples. I will try to post pictures later.

What about joining this?

Wondered if anyone was in need of a club to join. Not the kind you work out at, the kind you join to share common interests with others. What about this one. I know a lot of you out there would fit right in! HA ha ha ha ha ha ha. I am so funny sometimes! I just wanted you odd folk to know that there is a place out there for you.

Gospel Goodness

Just a quick note on the gospel front. Love the announcement from conference yesterday about a temple in Philly. This will be a great location for us, and I look forward to possibly taking the kids to a temple open house before it is dedicated. I wonder how long this will take? Also H has been practicing for the primary program. He has quite a difficult part to memorize, and this is his first program where he has to say something. Our primary actually has all children saying a part of the program and I am so impressed with the my class (4 year olds), who had their part memorized by the following week. They far surpass me on that front. For those of you wondering I really love my calling. The kids are great and very well behaved as sunbeams. I may feel differently in January when I get the new class, but for now I am very happy. Also yesterday watching conference the kids loved the primary choir. C kept singing along which was too cute! She also tries to say her own prayer when I tell her it is time for the prayer. That is a bit distracting. For the last session she was napping, and that was nice - I was able to pay attention better!

fall photos

Today we took photos at the "duck park". I love C's look in the close up. Seems like they never want to look at the camera, but in this case I think it works. I am still working on video, and I have a great one of both of them feeding the ducks.

A few cool things

Ok, so I still don't have video up and I apologize for that, but to put this in perspective let me tell you about my weekend. This weekend I needed to sort through close to 500 studies for 3 different research topics and read (more like browse in my case) nearly 100 studies at about 12 pages length on average. Lets just say I was busy, oh and I also had to study for my first comprehensive exam which I lived through Monday night - but no word if I passed yet - a B is required to pass, and the teacher has VERY HIGH EXPECTATIONS. I am told no one has failed yet, but there is a first for everything right? Today I thought I would recount a few favorite things:
1- C saying "hi big gog" - translated hi big dog every time she walks through the door when we come home. She got this from J who I don't even think realized that he does this until she started repeating it every time without fail. It is half cute, half annoying.
2- Changing leaves - which are nearly in full force. I will try to take some photos this weekend between studying.
3- J's pep talks - this morning it was "You better not quit". Somehow he manages to say things in a way that are not taken offensively even though when I rewrite them it seems like it was offensive. I love his pep talks - HONESTLY! Oh, and for the record I am not quitting
4- C's excitement when she sees buses. She rode a bus for the first time on campus last week, and then again today. She is half thrilled, half terrified with the experience, and she holds on tight.
5- Frolicking chipmunks and squirrels - yesterday I actually felt a little like Snow White because I had so many chipmunks and squirrels as I walked along the path to my office on campus. I don't know if this is a good or bad omen.
6- Foggy mornings - We've been having a lot of these lately and the thrill hasn't worn off. It is very appropriate for preparing the mood for Halloween.
7- Spiderwebs in the field - I noticed this on a foggy morning driving to work past a field. There were spiderwebs in the brush growing the field every couple of feet. It was also a cool thing with Halloween coming and I wanted a photo, but didn't have my camera. It is hard to describe how cool and unreal it looked.
8- Seeing my 2nd live Groundhog. You know this might not seem like a big deal, but we are relatively near to the home of Puxatawney Phil, and all I have really seen of groundhogs is their dead corpses lying in and along roads. GROSS - it is a wonder the famous Phil is still alive. The other day though I actually saw a live Groundhog next to the road. Now I see why they are always dead - find a new hangout guys.
9- One last one, and I know I already mentioned this, but seeing H sound out a new word. This is so fun and exciting and I love seeing his little mind make the connections to read the word. So far he is up to reading 4 books! WOW - Way to go bud!
That's all for now. Back to work!

LOOK AT ME I CAN READ

Ok, so major breakthrough this week. H has been working furiously on his letter sounds. Some are still a bit hard for him to remember, but he is obsessed with spelling words and as I help him sort out the letter according to the sound I noticed he is finally ready to begin reading. Such an exciting time for us! I wanted to buy the Primary Phonics set, as I think my old set was left in Flagstaff with another teacher since it was purchased primarily with district money. When I thought about it I realized that the length of the book would be too overwhelming at first so I bought the first set of BOB books. They were perfect and he can already read the first two books by himself in the set. I will work on getting a video of this as well for now a photo will have to do! Just as a note J looked so proud and impressed as H showed off his skills this week.

Dancing Queen

I am working on adding video, but so far I don't really know how to do that. Lately C has been dancing like crazy. She especially likes an American Idol toy that plays music. She even sings along. I will try to get a great video for all to see. It will likely show just how bossy she can be as well. I keep telling myself that knowing what you want and being a bit stubborn is a good trait, but just not so likable in a 2 year old!

The Perfect Pair

I just have to let everyone know that my obsession with cute shoes is alive and well. I have a 20 pair agreement with John (for the time being) so when the dog ate the heel off one of my shoes I decided to use my chase creditcard points to get a great pair for use on campus. These are perfect because they look professional, but are also super comfortable. Plus since they are leather and Clarks they should last a while. The best part is teachnically I didn't even pay for them. Just look at them! Anyone else think I found the perfect pair?

First day of school

H had his first day of school and I am so happy that it went well. Just look at that smile on his face! His teacher is great. He has a Mr. this year, which is very cool considering the lack of males in early childhood education. As I dropped him off I had a strange thought. We spend 5 years raising our child, protecting him, etc. Then suddenly on the first day of school we drop him off with people we have never met and trust that he will be alright! Doesn't this seem a little contradictory? Well, I did it and I am sure no experience will be quite match that one. I am very proud though - no tears shed by mom! C also did well with her first day of daycare. She already had her first week and no tears at all. AMAZING! I love my kids.

Grange Fair

About a week ago we went to the local Grange Fair. This is the biggest deal in the whole county. Locals actually take all of their vacation for the year to camp at the fair. The fair itself was nothing special, but it was remarkable to see that the fairgounds were only about 1/4 of the fair. The rest was literally people camping in army like tents, trailers, rvs, and trucks. People actually bring things like fridges, beds, sofas, etc to live there for just over a week. Crazy. There was also more than enough fried food to cause heart disease to the whole country. I only induldged in a gyro. How could I not? As you can see C and H had a blast on rides which only ran just over $3.00 for all of us for 45 minutes. More than enough time for all of us! Gotta love the fair.

Toad Friends

Last week we were in the backyard and H started screaming "Mom come here! HURRY!" When I walked over to him he had a toad to show me. Mistakenly he called it a frog at first, but I took photos to prove just how cool it was. C was completely frightened and would not go near it at all.

PSU begins

Well, I think many of you may be wondering how school is going. Frankly it is hard to say at this point. I am still in the first week of classes, so I will know more about my duties, work load, etc by the end of the week. For now I can tell that I am going to need to wear my glasses nonstop because I will be reading all the time. The level of text is going to be quite a challenge, and it has been putting me to sleep nightly. Also I can tell you I have no idea what my assistantship will look like since the prof I am working with didn't even know I need to work with him for 20 hours - he thought I needed 10 and he was barely going to have that. He is VERY laid back, which is fine, but I have a feeling that if he doesn't have enough and others find out I will be penalized later with an onslaught of work all when I am super busy with class papers, etc. So, I am trying to sort all of that out now. I don't mind working less, but not being paid could pose a problem. It looks like I will be able to work M-Th and possibly work from home one or two of those days a week. For that I am grateful.
For those of you who are football fans I get to (yes get to) park at Beaver stadium everyday and take the bus to my bldg on campus. I have already made best friends with good ol' (and I mean OLD) Joe Paterno. We meet for lunch at least a couple times a week to discuss his football strategy for the upcoming season. He tells me I am the only one who really understands his take on the game. Ok, so maybe we aren't that close. Actually I have only seen him on the news, but I can tell you that he is the topic of conversation all over the county. Seems like people would have better things to discuss, but I guess not.

School Troubles

So school hasn't even started for H and already we are having troubles. For those of you who are lucky enough to be in districts that allow you to choose the school to attend...count your blessings. Unfortunately H will be a school hopper, something I desperately wanted to avoid with this move. We are currently living within the school boundaries of BL Elementary School. We requested a boundary exemption to BN Elementary School which is in the area we are building our home. When I went to register him I had to complete a boundary exemption form, complete with a notary fee, etc. It took us 2 days to track down all the right information to get this done. When J dropped off the form they called the school and they said it was no big deal he should be approved. Well, today I got a letter in the mail telling us otherwise. Basically they are claiming that the kindergarten is too full and even though we own a lot we cannot have our child go to school there. Does anyone else find this bizarre? So for now it appears that we will have him attend one school either for the year or until our home is done. The only good news is he can ride the bus now - which will be nice. I hope this isn't hard on him :( Oh, and as a side note John plans on complaining about the whole process (well his words were a bit different), misinformation, etc. and remember he is a distict employee (as the middle school soccer coach) - oh boy this could get interesting.

Yoda

Just thought some of you might not have seen our awesome dog. So may I introduce Master Yoda Douglas. He is now 2 years old. Happy Birthday and may your secret - and not so secret birthday wishes (fatherhood) come true. We are working on it!

Going Blind?

Today I went in to get a new driver's licence. After presenting an enormous amount of paperwork I took the vision test. I read the third line as requested, then the guy said - read the rest. Honestly I didn't even see the last part of the line to read. I am that blind in my right eye! The last whole section was not even visible until I looked harder. Then I tried to read it and he said- "I think you need your glasses". Wow! Am I already so old that I have to wear glasses to drive? The answer is an unfortunate yes. Good thing we have vision coverage now. Hope you all like my new look!

Big Girl Bed

This has been a bit of a struggle, but C seems to be adapting ok. Bedtime is not as smooth, but H has been a big helper often "snuggling" C when she is having a hard time. The photo with the book is her first night in the big girl bed - the photo was not set up - this is acutally how I found her.

Potty Time

Here is the success I described. Sorry if you are grossed out, but as you can see C is very proud of herself.